Spark Bridge

Colton is a village and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 765, decreasing at the 2011 census to 672. It was historically part of Lancashire. Its name has been recorded as Coleton (which is Old English for 'village') and Coulton, and its existence has been recorded as early as 1202.The village is in the historical district of Furness and within the boundaries of the Lake District National Park. It is about 2 km north of the A590 between Newby Bridge and Ulverston. The settlement is situated on an incline, at the top of which is Colton Church, which was built in 1575 and rebuilt 25 years later. Colton Beck, which runs beside the village, was once known as Cole, meaning 'hazel stream'. Three miles from the village there is an historic Quaker meeting house at Colthouse. The parish includes Finsthwaite, Lakeside, Oxen Park, Nibthwaite, Bouth, and Rusland within its boundaries.

Bandrake Head is a village in Cumbria, England.

Holy Trinity Church is located to the east of the village of Colton, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Furness, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice has been united with those of St Andrew, Coniston, St Luke, Torver, St Mary the Virgin, Egton-cum-Newland, and St Luke, Lowick. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

Lowick is a village and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of the English county of Cumbria. Prior to 1 April 1974 it was part of Lancashire, the change being as a result of the Local Government Act 1972. The village appears in records as early as 1202 as Lofwik, and later as Laufwik: the name derives from the Old Norse "Lauf-vík" (English: Leafy Bay). In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 224, increasing slightly at the 2011 census to 227.The parish is made up of several small hamlets, including Woodgate, Lowick Bridge and Lowick Green. Lowick Green has a red phone box, one of a number surviving in rural Britain. For hundreds of years, Lowick was a two-pub parish, with the "Red Lion" at Lowick Bridge and the "Farmer's Arms" at Lowick Green. However, from 2021, the Farmer's Arms is run as a community hub.The village had its own primary school until 2004 when Cumbria County Council closed the school with 18 pupils. Numbers had fallen increasingly over the latter years and a number of local families already sent their children to larger schools nearby.There is an annual event in the village called the Lowick Show, known locally as the L'al Royal, which attracts visitors from nearby towns and villages. There are games, stalls, cattle, ferret and dog shows, as well as competitions for bakery, and arts and crafts.

St Mary's Church is on a site overlooking the villages of Penny Bridge and Greenodd, in the parish of Egton with Newland, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Furness, the archdeaconry of Westmorland with Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of St Andrew, Coniston, St Luke, Torver, St Luke, Lowick, and Holy Trinity, Colton.

Egton with Newland, sometimes written as "Egton-with-Newland", is a civil parish in the South Lakeland district of the English county of Cumbria. It includes the villages of Greenodd and Penny Bridge, and the hamlets of Arrad Foot, Newland and Newland Bottom. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 898, decreasing at the 2011 census to 817.It has a joint parish council with the parishes of Mansriggs and Osmotherley.

Greenodd is a village in the Furness area of the county of Cumbria, England, but within the historical county of Lancashire. For local government purposes the village is also within the South Lakeland local area of Westmorland and Furness unitary authority. It is located 3 miles (5 km) north-east of Ulverston at the junction of the A590 trunk road and the A5092 trunk road. The village is just outside the boundary of the Lake District National Park at 54°14′N 3°3′W (OS grid ref. SD 315825). Greenodd was within the Crake Valley area of South Lakeland District. The 2001 UK census, gives a population of 1823 for the Crake Valley. Greenodd and adjacent Penny Bridge are the main districts in the Crake Valley. The River Crake flows into the estuary of the River Leven at Greenodd.

The River Leven (pron. LEV-ən) is a short river in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, falling within the historic boundaries of Lancashire. It drains Windermere from its southernmost point and flows for approximately 8 miles (13 km) into the northern reaches of Morecambe Bay. The river and its estuary are the boundary between the Cartmel Peninsula and Furness Peninsula and is part of North Lonsdale, also known as Lancashire North of the Sands. The upriver limit of tidal flow is close to the village of Haverthwaite. Also at this point is to be found Low Wood Bridge which, until the coming of the railways, was the first bridging point across the river. The Leven is navigable upstream as far as Low Wood, and downstream from Windermere to Newby Bridge. Apart from Newby Bridge and Haverthwaite, the only other settlements on the Leven are the villages of Backbarrow and Greenodd. The river's steep fall around Backbarrow allowed industrial use of the river for the ultramarine mill and also a small hydroelectric generator at Backbarrow ironworks. The River Leven has one significant tributary, Rusland Pool, which drains a substantial part of Grizedale Forest and the Rusland Valley into the upper tidal section of the river. The Leven is a noted salmon river. At spawning time the fish can be seen jumping up the waterfalls at Backbarrow. The river is popular with kayakers due to the continuous grade III+ rapids found between Newby Bridge and Haverthwaite and a relatively stable water level sustained by Windermere. In 1903 a train crossing the railway bridge over the river was derailed by high winds during the Ulysses Storm.The Leven Estuary is one of the six main estuaries in the traditional county of Lancashire.

The River Crake is a short river in the English Lake District. The name probably derives from the Celtic languages (most likely Brythonic languages; ie Cumbric language) and means rocky stream. The river drains Coniston Water from its southernmost point and flows for about 6 miles (9.5 km) in a southerly direction before joining the upper estuary of the River Leven at Greenodd. The river is in the historic county of Lancashire, but in an area that formed part of the county Cumbria after the 1974 reorganisation of local government. The villages of Water Yeat, Blawith, Lowick Bridge, Spark Bridge and Penny Bridge are located close to the river in the Crake Valley. As well as receiving the outflow from Coniston the river also drains Beacon Tarn in the Blawith Fells above the southern end of Coniston. In the 19th century numerous industries including a cotton mill and iron foundry flourished along the river, making use of the fast flowing water to drive machinery. A bobbin mill at Spark Bridge, which manufactured wooden bobbins for the Lancashire cotton industry, used water-powered lathes to turn the wood. The factory survived into the 1970s using Gilkes water turbines to generate electricity and turn the lathes. The factory was eventually forced to close by the punitive water usage charges levied by the North West Water Authority. Today there are no obvious signs of any of the riverside industries. The Crake is a noted salmon river. The River Crake is the model for the Amazon River in Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series of children's novels according to Hugh Brogan, although the Crake flows out of Coniston Water but the Amazon flows into the Lake. The Allan Tarn at the beginning of the river became the Octopus Lagoon.

Furness ( FUR-niss, fur-NESS) is a peninsula and region of Cumbria, England. Together with the Cartmel Peninsula it forms North Lonsdale, historically an exclave of Lancashire. On 1 April 2023 it became part of the new unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness. The Furness Peninsula, also known as Low Furness, is an area of villages, agricultural land and low-lying moorland, with the industrial town of Barrow-in-Furness at its head. The peninsula is bordered by the estuaries of the River Duddon to the west and the River Leven in Morecambe Bay to the east. The wider region of Furness consists of the peninsula and the area known as High Furness, which is a relatively mountainous and sparsely populated part of England, extending inland into the Lake District and containing the Furness Fells. The inland boundary of the region is formed by the rivers Leven, Brathay and Duddon, and the lake of Windermere. Off the southern tip of Furness is Walney Island, 11 miles (18 kilometres) long, as well as several smaller islands. The Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, which developed when the Furness iron industry flourished in the 19th century, is the region's largest settlement, with a population of over 91,000. The remainder of Furness is predominantly rural, with Ulverston the only other settlement with more than 10,000 people. Much of High Furness consists of moorland, mountain or woodland environments.

Beck Bottom is a village in Cumbria, England.

Oxen Park is a hamlet in the English county of Cumbria. Oxen Park lies on the watershed between Rusland and Colton Beck valleys in South Lakeland, and is part of the greater Lake District region. The nearest town is Ulverston 7 miles (11 km) to its south. There are two former smithies (blacksmiths) here, dating from the late 17th/ early 18th century, both of which are Grade II listed buildings. The Manor House public house in Oxen Park was formerly Bank House, which was purchased by Hartleys brewery in 1933, later a Robinson's pub, and now a free house. The Reading Room (Village Hall) here was built in 1902, and underwent a major restoration in 2018/19.